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Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate he advised against the ban and would continue to do so.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- the nation's highest-ranking military officer -- says he didn't support Donald Trump's plan to bar transgender people from the armed forces.
"I believe that any individual who meets the physical and mental standards ... should be afforded the opportunity to continue to serve," Gen. Joseph Dunford told the committee during his reappointment hearing Tuesday, Military Times reports.
He had voiced that same view to Trump administration officials before the announcement of the trans ban's reinstatement, he said, but they obviously ignored it. He said he would continue to make that recommendation.
When Trump announced the ban via Twitter July 26, he said he had come to the decision after consultation with generals and military experts, something that is looking increasingly untrue, given Dunford's comments and the fact that many other military leaders were surprised by the action. The heads of the Navy and Coast Guard have spoken supportively of transgender troops.
Ash Carter, Defense secretary under President Obama, had announced the lifting of the ban last year, meaning the many trans people already serving could be open about their identity without fear of discharge. An estimated 15,000 trans people are in the military. They can continue serving while a panel of experts determines how to implement the ban; Trump has directed his Defense secretary, James Mattis, to have the implementation plan completed by February 21.
The military is not accepting any more trans members. Under the Obama administration plan, the enlistment of new trans troops was delayed until July 1 of this year, but shortly before that date arrived, Mattis announced the delay was being extended by six months. Now their enlistment is off the table completely, unless the new ban is reversed.
Senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Susan Collins of Maine, a Democrat and a Republican respectively, have introduced a bill to block the ban. Several Republicans as well as Democrats oppose the ban. In addition, four lawsuits seeking to stop it have been filed in federal court.
